Electrical musical high chair with potty



Dec. 17, 1968 w. F. JORDAN 3,416,163

ELECTRICAL MUSICAL HIGH CHAIR WITH POTTY Filed March 24, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet l m l-wk INVENTOR.

WALTER FRANCIS JORDAN ATTORNEY 1968 w. F. JORDAN 3,416,163

ELECTRICAL MUSICAL HIGH CHAIR WITH POTTY Filed March 24, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WALTER FRANCIS JORDAN ATTORNEY INVENTOR.

United States Patent ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A childs chair provided with an electrical musical device which plays continuously when a child sits on a seat of the chair. The chair is provided with two hinged seats, the lower of which is a potty seat and the upper of which is a high chair seat, and a removable pot is provided under the potty seat. An override switch and a pressure actuated switch are connected to the music device, the pressure actuated switch being supported under the lower seat for actuation in response to pressure on either of the seats so that when a child sits on such seat the music device plays continuously and when the child leaves the seat the music device stops playing. The chair is provided with short legs and leg extensions detachably connected to the short legs by rotatable locking sleeves so that the chair may be used as a high chair with the leg extensions attached or as a potty chair with the leg extensions removed.

This invention relates to an article of furniture, such as an infants high chair or potty chair and with the chair being collapsible or adjustable to form a floor supported seating device or extendable vertically to form a conventional high chair.

The invention comprises an upper collapsible frame member, having a seat that is provided with an arcuate opening and a receptacle slidable within guide means beneath the opening to receive excrement from the child and with the seat also being covered by an overlying panel that is hingedly connected to a back of the device and with a switch device located upon the frame, to be actuated by the weight of the child and to energize the musical apparatus that is fixed upon the rear side of the back.

The musical apparatus may be of any conventional form driven by either a dry cell battery or to be driven by the conventional house current through the medium of a transformer.

Novel features of construction and operation of the device will be more clearly apparent during the course of the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein has been illustrated a preferred form of the device and wherein like characters of reference are employed to denote like parts throughout the several figures.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of a high chair constructed in accordance with the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation thereof,

FIGURE 3 is a view of the chair in a collapsed position,

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view of the upper chair section, with the legs removed and using the device directly upon the floor,

FIGURE 5 is an exploded perspective view fragmentarily of hinge means for the seat and the cover therefor, and

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of a clamping joint for the lower leg extensions.

Referring specifically to the drawings, there has been illustrated an upper chair section or back supporting section 5, having corner legs 6, a back or back panel 7, a cross member 8 and with the corner legs 6 and the cross 3,416,163 Patented Dec. 17, 1968 member 8 being held in adjusted position by a diagonal brace 9. Each of the corner legs 6 at their lower ends are provided with rotatable coupling sleeves 10, adapted to be detachably connected to elongated legs 11 when the device is to be elevated to a conventional height of a high chair.

Hingedly connected at 12 to the rear legs 6 is a potty seat 13, having a conventional opening therein as shown at 14 to overlie a pot 15 that is slidably engaged in guide members or rails 16, fixed upon the underside of the seat 13. The pivot 12 passes through a plate 17, riveted to a rear leg 6, as shown at 18. Also hingedly connected to the plate 17, as shown at 19, is a contoured cover or seat 20 that overlies the seat 13 and its opening 14, when the chair is used for either amusement of the child or, when the seat 20 is raised to permit the child to use the pot 15 and the seat 20 has fitment between the rear legs 6 and the back panel 7 and is held in the elevated position by a strap 21 that is held upon the back panel 7 by a conventional snap fastener. An upper cross bar or arm 22 is pivotally connected to the legs 6, as indicated at 23 and a tray 24 is adjustably mounted upon the bar 22 and constitutes a rest for feeding implements or toys, as is customary.

Fixed to the rear side of the panel 7 is a musical apparatus, 25, in which is supported any type of musical apparatus that is electrically driven by a dry cell battery or the house current, through a transformer 26. Mounted upon a crossrail 27, is a switch element 28 that underlies the forward edge of the seat 13 and serves to actuate the musical apparatus 25, through a conductor 29. The musical apparatus may be manually actuated by override switch 30 and the conductor 29 leads from the switch 28 to apparatus within the musical apparatus 25, not shown and, when the device is to be controlled by conventional house current, a conductor 31 extends from the musical apparatus 25, to the transformer 26. Various musical apparatus may be employed, either a battery driven apparatus or other sound producing mechanism, such as a tape recorder or the like may be installed within the apparatus 25 to produce a sound continuously while the child is sitting on the chair 5, either on the seat 13 alone or with the cover 20 is swung downwardly upon the seat 13, The musical apparatus is actuated by the weight of the child and indicates to the attendant that the child is occupying the chair. In order to accomplish this result, it is inherently necessary to connect the switches so that both switches must be closed to energize the music device and if either switch is open the music device stops playing.

When the device is to be employed as a high chair, the legs 11 are telescopically engaged with pins 32 and with the pins 32 being provided with a radial pin 33 that engages a slot 34 in the upper ends of the legs. Each of the upper ends 11 are provided with a radial pin 35, that has fitment into a bayonet slot 36 that is rotatable upon the lower ends of the legs 6 and whereby to lock the legs 11 with respect to the legs 6 to prevent accidental displacement and the bayonet slot 36 is formed in the lower end of the sleeves 10 and the sleeves 10 are serrated to permit easy turning thereof when locking the legs in position. With the legs 11 in position, the chair 5 is elevated to a conventional high chair height.

In the use of the device, the chair 5 is shifted to its operative position, shown particularly in FIGURES 2 and 4 and when the pot 15 is to be employed, it is shifted inwardly beneath the seat 13 upon the guide rails 16. If the pot is not to be used, the cover 20 is released and swung downwardly to overlie the opening 14 of the seat 13. With the seat 20 in position to cover the opening 14, the weight of the child sitting thereon actuates the switch 28, to energize the musical apparatus 25. When the chair is to be used as a high chair, the legs 11 are connected through the medium of the sleeves 10 but, as shown in 3 FIGURE 4, the legs 11 may be omitted and the chair 5 sets directly upon the floor all other operative mechanism being the same, whether the legs 11 are employed or not. When the chair is to be bodily folded, such for instance as storage within an automobile, the entire mechanism may be collapsed, as indicated in FIGURE 3.

It will be apparent, that a very novel chair has been provided that functions either as a high chair or a chair for use upon a floor level and, while the musical apparatus requires electrical drive means, it is pointed out that the electrical apparatus is of such low voltage, that the chance of injury to the child is entirely obviated. The device is strong, durable, cheap to manufacture and most desirable for use as a high chair or a potty chair.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction shown, but that changes are contemplated as readily fall within the spirit of the invention as shall be determined by the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. A chair construction including in combination, a chair frame having legs, a seat supporting section, a back supporting section and arms, a tray adjustably supported by said arms so that said chair may be used as a childs high chair, a back panel supported by said back support ing section, at least one seat hingedly connected to said seat supporting section of said frame having swinging movement from a horizontal position to a raised position, an electrical power supplying means, an electrical music device supported by said frame and electrically connected to said power supplying means, a manually operated electrical switch electrically connected in circuit with said power supplying means and said music device, a second electrical switch electrically connected in circuit with said power supplying means and said music device, said switches being connected so that when both of said switches are closed said music device is electrically driven to play music continuously and when either of said switches is opened said music device stops, said second switch being supported by said frame under said seat for actuation in response to pressure on said seat so that when a child sits on said seat said second switch is closed and when the child leaves said seat said second switch is opened.

2. The chair construction as claimed in claim 1 in which said music device is a tape player.

3. A chair construction including in combination, a chair frame having legs, a seat supporting section, a back supporting section and arms, a tray adjustably supported by said arms so that said chair may be used as a childs high chair, a back panel supported by said back supporting section, a first seat hingedly connected to said seat supporting section of said frame having swinging movement from a horizontal position to a raised position, said first seat having a central opening therein and providing a potty seat, guide rails supported under said first seat, a

pot receptacle having detachable fitment with said guide rails to position the same under said seat opening, a second seat hingedly connected to said seat supporting section having swinging movement from a horizontal position to a raised position, said second seat overlying and covering the opening in said first seat when said seats are in said horizontal positions, an electrical power supplying means, an electrical music device supported by said frame and electrically connected to said power supplying means, a manually operated override switch electrically connected in circuit with said power supplying means and said music device, a second electrical switch connected in circuit with said power supplying means and said music device, said second switch being supported by said frame under said first seat for actuation in response to pressure on either of said seats so that when said override switch is actuated and a child sits on either of said seats said music device plays continuously and when the child leaves said seat said music device stops playing.

4. The chair construction as claimed in claim 3 in which said legs of said frame include permanent short legs and removable leg extensions detachably connected to said short legs by rotatable locking sleeves.

5. The chair construction as claimed in claim .3 in which said seat supporting section of said frame includes upward extensions of said legs and hinge plates attached to the extensions at the back of said chair, said seats being hingedly connected to said plates.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 200,181 2/1878 Dawson 4-134 577,136 2/1897 Honeywell 4-134 859,557 7/1907 Hencke 4-134 1,182,670 5/1916 Fountain 4-134 1,654,958 1/1928 Breton 287-104 1,998,657 4/1935 De La Croix 4-213 2,075,308 3/1937 Simonsen 4-1 2,172,506 9/1939 Gerger 4-217 2,362,856 11/1944 Strunk et al. 287-104 2,419,788 4/1947 Nickell 287-104 2,535,704 12/1950 Snyder et al 4-1 2,745,112 5/1956 Bindbeutel 4-134 2,863,685 12/1958 Boyce 287-104 2,994,557 8/1961 King 4-134 3,127,215 3/1964 Hubbard 4-134 3,172,390 3/1965 Garthofner 4-134- 3,186,759 6/1965 Reeves 4-134 3,271,784 9/1966 Peffiey 4-134- FOREIGN PATENTS 311,143 1/1956 Switzerland.

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

D. MASSENBERG, Assistant Examiner. 

